I was thin all throughout my life until I got pregnant in late 2005. Imagine, I was weighing less than 100 pounds then. My friends were so envious at me because they were all getting heavier while I still maintain my svelte figure. Even if I eat two cups of rice every meal, I still don't get fat. I was also active then; I go to the gym, I join badminton club, I climb mountains, I walk a lot.
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| Me during the graduation day at Graduate School |
When I got pregnant, I was always reminded by my mom not to eat too much. She would always say, "Madaling magpalaki ng bata sa labas, wag palakihin sa loob." It made sense to me as I don't want to give birth via Cesarean section. My last weight before giving birth was 123 pounds; I still have six more pounds of weight allowance (max weight increase of pregnant women should be 30 pounds).
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| Eight months pregnant with Kib |
After a year of giving birth, my weight was around 112 pounds. I still look slim then. My weight dropped more when my dad got terribly sick in 2007 due to stress and worry. I looked like a stressed college student due to my weight loss.
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| During Kib's first birthday celebration |
I wasn't able to monitor my weight since then. I don't know why, but I think I was so confident with my weight then, hihi.
I think I weighed myself again when I visited my doctor for my annual check-up in 2011. My doctor expressed her concern about my increasing weight because I weighed as almost as I was nine months pregnant. She advised me to lose some weight. I didn't heed on her advice; I was so happy with my disposition then.
When my father passed away, my weight suddenly increased at immense rate. When friends and relatives notice my weight increase, I would just say, "Masarap kumain eh." I am embracing my increased weight wholeheartedly.
I only got worried about my weight when I tipped the scale at 134 pounds.
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| Chubby me on January 1, 2014, last picture taken before my #balikalindog journey |
I was able to be friends with Cheryl Goodman on Facebook. She is into healthy living. She shared to me how she used to be on the heavy side all throughout her life that she decided to me more conscious about her weight three years ago. Our conversations on Facebook about weight loss really inspired me to also go on the path of healthy living.
I started my journey to healthy living in January 2, 2014.
I started with 10-minute workouts. I followed some instructional videos on YouTube, from simple aerobics to zumba to taebo to belly dancing to yoga. When I was able to get the momentum, I slowly increased my workout time until I reached one hour of cardio exercise. I didn't have any diet plan; I fear that my son will also imitate the way I eat so I just regulated my food intake; less carbs, more fiber and protein.
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| Working out sometime in January 2014 as a birthday gift to my friend Cheryl Goodman |
My weight loss journey, if compared with other people, is on the slow side; anyway, I am not joining a bikini open or beauty contest, haha. For a year of doing exercise, I've lost 16 pounds. For some, they will say that it's not that much, but for me it's already an achievement. Most people who take the fast and easy route to weight loss also gain their weight at a fast rate too after they have stopped their routine. My goal is to really maintain a healthy lifestyle, incorporating exercise in my daily routine.
See my transformation!
I stopped doing exercise for more than a month this year due to my busy schedule at work and at doing domestic chores. For two weeks now, I am trying to kick back the habit again by having 30-minute exercise after midnight before going to bed (my work ends at 12 midnight). Hopefully, after a month, I can go back to one hour cardio exercise.
For mommies out there, I challenge you to take the route of healthy living. We don't want to get sick for our kids. Start for few minutes until you get the habit. Ideally, 2-3 hours of exercise weekly is enough. If you can do more, much better. Don't starve yourself; eat regular food with moderation. Your kids will surely admire you for doing some exercise and you will serve as a role model to your kid too. Goodluck!
1 comments
so proud of you mama Donna!
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